Page 57 of Blood Taken (Blood Mafia 2)
I need to learn how to purposefully kill without hesitation. How do I ask for that without sounding crazy?
Hey, Mateo. Can you drop me off near downtown so I can go hunt a bunch of vampires and wolves so I can practice dismembering them and burning their bodies?
Yeah, that'll go over great. Especially since he's the master of the city. Sure he's known as the Blood Mafia boss, but in essence, he's the master of all the vampires in San Francisco. I don't know a lot about the hierarchy of vampires. . . and now that I'm a full-fledged Hunter, I'm not sure he'll tell me.
"Why are you still awake?" The speaker crackles around his words.
I glare at the ceiling. How had I forgotten about the intercom?
"Why are you?"
"Vampire, remember?" Mateo's words are light with laughter.
"Whatever. Why are you watching me?"
"Maybe I like watching you."
Sighing, I roll on my side and snuggle into the covers. "Has anyone ever told you you're a creep?"
The speaker cracks. "Not to my face."
Knowing I'm the only one who's bold enough to tell him how it is makes me happy. "Anytime you need to hear it, let me know, boss man."
The white noise of the intercom fades and I sink further into the bed. Maybe he'll let me sleep. Not that anyone could sleep with the noise in this building. My enhanced hearing makes it sound as though elephants are stampeding in my living room and the door to my bedroom is slamming, while in reality, those sounds are much farther away.
I groan when I hear another door thud and shove the pillow over my head, trying to block it all out. My spine tingles and footfalls that sound like lightning striking echo through my mind.
That's louder than everything else.
Throwing the pillow off, I launch out of the bed and scramble for my knife on the bedside table. My bedroom door slams open and Mateo's dark frame fills the doorway.
"Come for more insults?" I quip, relieved it's him and not a malicious vampire.
Well, Mateo might not be malicious, but he certainly doesn't have the best of intentions when it comes to me. Still, better the devil you know than the one you don't, hm?
He flashes to me. Now instead of seeing a blur, I can see every step he takes. I run over the bed and lean against the closet. Mateo stops where I was and tosses a scowl in my direction.
"I can't wait for your powers to settle."
I smirk. "I'm having fun, aren't you?"
Mateo flashes again. I don't move this time. He stands before me, deliciously tall and packed with muscle. He's breathtaking, especially when he's looking at me like he wants to rip my clothes off.
Now that's power.
Tilting my head against the closet door, I gaze into his dark brown eyes and lift an eyebrow. "Creep," I whisper the words, taunting him into action.
"What is it you want from me, baby girl?" He takes another step closer and twirls a lock of my hair around his finger.
I press my lips together. Admitting what I really want from him will only give him power over me. Right now I hold the power, and I'm not ready to let go of that.
"I want you . . ." I trail off on purpose, biting my lower lip when his body presses into mine and he drops his arms on either side of my head. "To tell me about the vampire hierarchy."
The hooded set of his eyes narrows into suspicion. "Cock tease."
I shrug. "You asked me what I wanted. I want to know about the hierarchy."
Mateo leans his forehead against mine.
